Wedding Dress
by arabmorgan
Summary: Making friends was never easy for Shino. Now that he's in love, will he be able to reveal his feelings and get the girl?
1. Prologue

**Wedding Dress **| _Prologue_

Everyone knew that in the Academy, Inuzuka Kiba had been a loser.

Everyone also knew that Aburame Shino had graduated second only to Uchiha Sasuke.

But no one knew that Aburame Shino had been _jealous _of Inuzuka Kiba.

Kiba, who hung out with the other losers: Uzumaki Naruto, Nara Shikamaru, Akimichi Choji. In their case, hanging out equated skipping class and slacking around.

Shino had…well, he had his insects. As dear to him as they were, however, bugs simply could not make up for having friends of the same species, and Shino didn't have any. He had acquaintances and classmates, but not friends who would play with him or cry with him or laugh with him.

It wasn't only because of the insects, although that had probably played in large part in his friendlessness. The Aburames—all of them—were simply socially awkward. The entire clan was reserved, preferring to keep to themselves. Or perhaps they were just resigned to their friendless state.

On the first day of school, a blonde-haired boy had bounced enthusiastically up to Shino and yelled in his face, "Hey! I'm Uzumaki Naruto and I'm going to be the Hokage someday! What's your name? Why are you wearing sunglasses? Aren't you hot with that thick coat on?" His blue eyes were wide with excitement—needless excitement, Shino felt. Shino never found much to be excited with in life.

"Aburame Shino," Shino had replied politely. "I don't want my bugs to escape so I keep them in my coat." He beckoned Naruto a little closer before opening a side of the big hooded overcoat he wore, revealing thousands of black insects teeming over his body and the inside of the coat.

Naruto leaped back with a shocked yelp. "Ewww! That's so gross!" Like most little boys, Naruto liked spiders and worms and other creepy crawlies, but a million bugs swarming on a living person was too much, even for him. He had dashed away in tears to find Iruka-sensei.

After that unfortunate incident, Shino didn't get many more chances to make friends. The terrified girls flatly refused to approach him, and the other boys masked their childish fears with snide remarks.

Unfeeling as he appeared to be, Shino was, nevertheless, slightly hurt. He didn't let it show, nor did he get unduly upset, nor did he speak to his father about these incidents. He merely worked harder than ever in class, determined to meet his goal of graduating at the top of the class.

_Who needs friends? I'll prove that I'm better than all of them. So much better._

Yes, Aburame Shino was just a little bitter.

Unfortunately, Uchiha Sasuke claimed the top spot at the Academy that year. Shino was disappointed, mildly annoyed, and became more bitter. He looked around at the rest of the class calmly, critically, appraising each of them in turn. Two of these nine would be on the same three-man team as him.

_I'll prove that I'm better than them. So much better._


	2. twelve

**Wedding Dress** | _twelve_

"On Team 8," Iruka announced. "Hyuga Hinata, Inuzuka Kiba, Aburame Shino."

There was a tiny gasp from the back of the class, barely audible. Shino turned slightly to stare at the girl—tiny, dark-haired, white-eyed. He didn't know much about Hyuga Hinata, only that she was cripplingly shy, that much was obvious.

_Weak._

Shino turned back to face the front of the class when he heard Kiba's exclamation of outrage. "What! But I wanted to be in the same team as one of you guys! Now I'm stuck with _him_!" He exchanged glances with Naruto, Shikamaru and Choji, tilting his chin meaningfully and unsubtly at Shino. His white puppy, Akamaru, gave a shrill bark of agreement from his customary position on Kiba's head of ruffled brown hair.

_Complacent and annoying._

"Deal with it quietly, Kiba." Iruka smiled thinly at the boy, who had been whispering heatedly to his pals. "Now, Team 9…"

Shino's feelings about his new team bordered on nonchalant. He could deal with anything that was thrown at him, especially a perpetually terrified girl and a braggart who probably didn't have half the abilities he claimed to have.

.

.

.

Later that afternoon, the chaos-inducing forehead protectors were distributed. "That's it, class, you're all now officially genins and have graduated from the Academy!" Iruka said with a huge grin. He narrowed his eyes when his comment received no reaction—everyone was too busy admiring their forehead protectors and deciding where to place them—both annoyed and proud.

Suddenly, multiple bursts of smoke appeared by Iruka, making everyone look up in shock. When the smoke cleared, three tall figures were revealed. Two men—one tall and masked with unusual silver hair, the second broad-shouldered and bearded—and a woman, slender and red-eyed.

"One of them will be your sensei until your team becomes a chunin," Iruka explained. "I'm not going to say too much here; you can get to know your sensei in time. Kakashi, Team 7 is yours. Kurenai, Team 8, and Asuma, you get Team 10. Come and gather around your respective teachers please!"

Shino got to his feet slowly, from where he had been sitting a little aside from the other youngsters, silently admiring the shiny new forehead protector in his hands. He made his way over to the woman Iruka had pointed at, coming to stand beside Kiba. Hinata hovered nervously behind the two of them, her fear of this stranger clearly stronger than her fear of her classmates.

Shino's finger traced the Konoha crest absently as he waited for the woman to speak. It would go on his forehead, he decided finally. It was called a forehead protector for a reason after all.

"Well, I'm Kurenai Yuhi," the woman said brightly after looking her students over for a moment. "Let's just have a short introduction session today before we meet up tomorrow to start proper training, shall we?" She smiled reassuringly at them, beckoning them over to a nearby bench.

"Can we train with our friends who aren't on this team?" Kiba asked, sounding a little sulky.

"We will train as a team," Kurenai said patiently, "but we may train with the other teams occasionally, to test how much you have progressed. Now, why don't you tell us a bit about yourself?"

"Why must _I_ start? What about you?" Kiba snapped, folding his arms. Akamaru leaped onto his lap and snuggled into his jacket with a whimper, as if sensing the dangerous mood.

_How childish,_ Shino thought scathingly, _and rude too._

Kurenai's smile slipped a little at Kiba's hostility, but she started to speak. "It's only fair you know about me as well," she said with a small laugh. "I'm Kurenai, and I specialize in genjutsu techniques. I love wasabi but I hate cake."

Three pairs of wide eyes stared at her. "You hate _cake_?" Kiba finally said, sounding outraged. "No one hates cake! I love cake, and I love dogs as well, especially Akamaru. My favourite word is Akamaru and I like taking him out for walks!" He grinned, flashing sharp fangs.

Shooting a quick glance at Hinata, who didn't look like she was about to speak Shino shrugged and said, "I'm Aburame Shino and I use insects to attack people. I like salad and I don't like tofu. I only fight strong people." He sat back, pulling his coat tighter around him.

"I-I'm Hyuga Hinata and I have the Byakugan. I like p-pressing flowers and I don't really dislike anything," Hinata stammered, clearly self-conscious.

"Excellent! We'll find out even more about each other when we start training tomorrow. Tomorrow will be a long day, so take a good rest tonight," Kurenai advised cheerfully. She smiled at them all before disappearing in a cloud of smoke.

"She's pretty nice," Kiba said randomly, then turned to face Shino. "And you only fight strong people? We should fight someday, to prove that I'm the worthy leader of this team!" He grinned challengingly, then spun on his heel and ran off to find his friends.

"_I'm_ the worthy leader of this team," Shino muttered under his breath, glaring after Kiba's retreating form.

Hinata gave a frightened cough. "I-I should go, Shino-san," she said, sounding a little breathless. She bowed quickly and hurried away. Shino watched her go with a raised eyebrow.

_So she doesn't want to be around me. Fine._

.

.

.

After two weeks of being on Team 8, as he watched Hinata come within an inch of Gentle Fisting Kiba, Shino had to admit that his first impressions of his teammates had been less than accurate.

Hinata still didn't really dare to talk to him, although he understood that was because she was shy and not because she didn't like him. Her huge inferiority complex angered Shino, though, and he often wondered idly how anyone could be so deluded about their own abilities. Her infatuation with Naruto was another issue that didn't amuse Shino one bit. _How does she expect to improve if she keeps mooning over him?_

The bottom line was, Hinata was tolerable, and possibly even likable.

Kiba _was_ annoying and lazy and proud, and had ways of getting under Shino's stoic façade that no one else could, but he was also funny and reasonably friendly. Not that he had been so open at first, but after a week of scathing remarks to Shino and virtually ignoring Hinata's presence, Kiba had probably been so starved of conversation that he finally couldn't help trying to befriend the others.

Shino wasn't really sure if he actually liked Kiba yet; he was just so _talkative_. And bouncy and enthusiastic and witty and active, and Shino was none of these. Besides, Kiba was his rival for the position of team leader, so friendship was close to impossible.

"Wait." Shino snapped back to attention when Kurenai stepped forward to stop the sparring. "Hinata, you have to put more force behind your movements; at this rate you won't even bruise your opponent. Kiba, you have to focus more on your opponent and not on Akamaru; Akamaru will work with you, there's no need to keep accommodating him. It makes him lazy as well."

Hinata and Kiba nodded, panting slightly. Akamaru let out an indignant bark, peeking out from behind Kiba's legs.

"Alright then, that's all for today. We concentrate on those points tomorrow. Shino, as I said, work on directing your commands to just one specific insect. I'll see you all tomorrow!" Kurenai gave an embarrassed laugh and disappeared with a twirl.

Kiba burst out laughing. "Did you hear that _giggle_?" he demanded, walking up to Shino and slapping his back, doubled over with laughter. Shino didn't deign that statement with a response, but if he had it would be, "Yes, I'm not deaf." He completely failed to see why Kurenai's so-called _giggle_ had set Kiba off like that, and simply stepped away from Kiba to avoid being hit in the back again.

When he didn't receive the desired response, which would be, "I did, Kiba! Now isn't that just hilarious?" Kiba snorted and moved over to assault Hinata instead. "You know what that means, right, Hinata? Kurenai-sensei is in _love_!" He sang out the last word, drawing it out like a howl. Akamaru joined right in with a high-pitched whine, making Hinata cringe.

"I-I'm sure Kurenai-sensei would t-tell us if she liked someone…" Hinata's voice trailed off miserably. _She_ hadn't told anyone that she liked Naruto but somehow everyone knew anyway.

"Stop mindlessly speculating. You're not even making any sense," Shino said monotonously, sounding bored. "It's none of our business anyway. Let's go have dinner." He resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

_We're _twelve_. Why is everyone thinking about love? We need to be the best we can be, and that means no distractions._

Hinata's face brightened at the mention of a team dinner. _She's so…cute when she smiles._ Shino was a little surprised at this revelation. But then again he didn't have any sisters, and the girls in his class had pretty much shunned him, and Hinata was usually either blushing or biting her lip or looking at the ground. Or all at once.

Kiba looked insulted for a split second before Shino's suggestion registered in his brain. "Yes! Dinner! I'm _starving_! Come on, Akamaru!" The small white dog scampered up to Kiba, yapping excitedly. Kiba grabbed Hinata's hand, making her gasp and blush terribly, but he ignored that and dragged her over to Shino's side. Throwing his other arm around Shino's shoulders, Kiba tried to walk off with the entire team in one line.

It was awkward, to say the least. Thankfully for Shino, it lasted for a whole two seconds before Kiba leaped away with a yell of disgust.

"Shino! Your bugs are crawling up my arm! Control them!" he shouted furiously, brushing at his arm with vigour. "Come on, Hinata! Let's leave Shino to his bugs! I know, Akamaru, bugs are so gross, right?"

Hinata blushed furiously and looked back at Shino as Kiba dragged her a few feet in front, smiling apologetically. Shino nodded slowly in acknowledgement. He didn't blame her.

_Kiba, you will pay for insulting my bugs. Just you wait._


	3. fourteen

**Wedding Dress** | _fourteen_

"Yeah! Give me a five, Shino!" Kiba leaped into the air with a howl of joy, ignoring the fact that Shino hadn't even so much as twitched a muscle. Hinata's face was flushed with happiness, her smile radiant. In fact, she looked a little like she was going to faint from excitement.

"Calm down, Kiba, before I make you," Shino advised calmly.

Kiba grabbed Shino by the shoulders and tried to stare him down. "Shino, we're _chunins_. Hello? Has it entered your bug-infested head that we've been promoted? We're chunins! We're awesome! Rejoice!" He grabbed Akamaru's front paws, lifting the dog and hugging him tightly.

"Look, it's Kurenai-sensei!" Hinata laid a hand on the crook of Shino's elbow and pointed at the figure walking towards them.

"Congratulations, all of you!" Kurenai looked as delighted as Kiba and went around hugging all of them, even Akamaru, who gave a rumbling bark and slobbered all over her face. To Kurenai's surprise, Shino took the hug without a flinch, although he did clear his throat and push up his sunglasses uncomfortably when she pulled away.

"I'll treat you all to lunch, how's that?" Kurenai asked, the corners of her eyes crinkling as she smiled. "Then I have some good news of my own to tell you."

"Hey, sensei, who didn't pass the chunin exam this time? Did Naruto pass? And Choji?" Kiba chattered endlessly as the four of them walked through the crowded marketplace. "Did you see Akamaru chomp that Sand ninja's arm while I attacked him? And Shino! His insects were _killer_! But not as good as my attacks, of course!"

Kiba twisted around to wink at Shino cheekily.

"Yes, Kiba, I was there, and all of you fought excellently," Kurenai replied rather indulgently. She looked as if she was resisting the urge to reach out and ruffle his hair. Kiba, with his adorable grins and hyper personality, had that sort of effect on people.

Slowly, Shino raised his hand, lifted his hood slightly, and ran his hand through his hair experimentally. A small shower of bugs fell into the back of his hood. Shino replaced his hand in his pocket, trailing a little behind the other three as he usually did. He watched a cool breeze ruffle the ends of Kurenai's wavy hair, watched Hinata give a small laugh at something Kiba said, watched Kiba looking down at Hinata with a huge smile.

_Hinata doesn't like Kiba. She likes Naruto._

Shino was confused when that thought occurred to him, and even more confused at the strange sense of relief that washed through him. He shook his head irritably; Aburames were never confused about their emotions. Not to mention he shouldn't even be thinking about…whatever he was thinking about right now, like boy-girl relationships. _No_. Aburames thought about insects, beloved insects, and only insects.

_And expanding the clan. Don't forget about that._

What? For the first time in his life, Shino was truly baffled. Mind-boggled. Where had _that _thought come from? This had to stop, and pronto.

.

.

.

Surprisingly, Hinata finished eating first. She didn't usually eat much but she ate very daintily, very prettily, and that made her a slow eater. Today, she had eaten even less than usual before sitting back, chewing her lip nervously. Shino looked surreptitiously at her from behind his dark glasses.

"C-can I say something?" Hinata suddenly spoke up, albeit a little hesitantly. Her pale eyes flitted from Kurenai's face, to Shino's, to Kiba's.

"Of course you can," Kurenai said encouragingly. Shino stopped eating, waiting wordlessly for Hinata to speak. Kiba cocked his head curiously; beside him, Akamaru had assumed the same position, his tongue lolling out peaceably.

"I-I just wanted to say, I'm really grateful to all of you f-for encouraging me all this time," she stammered, twirling a strand of dark hair between a fingers. "Everytime I feel like I'm n-not strong enough, you remind me that I can d-do it, and I just have to practice and try harder. And I'm very grateful t-to all of you. Thank you. It m-means a lot to me to have such a great team."

"That's because you _can_ do it, Hinata!" Kiba said, puffing up proudly as if he'd done something great. "Right, Shino?" He nudged Shino hard, who didn't even bother glaring. He'd been nudged and shoved and hit and, in general, abused by Kiba too much for it to have much effect on him now. Anyway, here was a statement by Kiba that he actually agreed with.

Shino nodded. "Definitely. You put yourself down too much."

"Way to be harsh, Shino!" Kiba yelled indignantly. "Hinata just lacks self-confidence!" Kurenai, who had been watching the exchange between her three students, hushed him hurriedly before he could disrupt the peace of the restaurant even more.

"N-no, Kiba-kun, Shino-kun doesn't mean it in a bad way. T-that's his way of saying he believes in me," Hinata cut in hastily, before Kiba could blow the issue way out of proportion. Impulsiveness was simply in Kiba's blood.

"Well, I suppose I should tell you my good news now, before Kiba starts a fight," Kurenai started with a laugh, waiting for the boy in question to settle down. "I'm…getting married next month, and I'm inviting all of you, of course. I hope-"

"T-to Asuma-sensei?" Hinata interrupted, very uncharacteristically. Her pale eyes were bright with interest and she gave a small giggle when Kurenai nodded with an equally uncharacteristic blush.

"I sense _love_ in the air!" Kiba sniggered.

"Congratulations." Shino was ever-polite.

"Have you chosen your wedding dress?" Hinata asked, without a hint of a stutter. Kiba was engaged with trying to lure one of Shino's insects from his coat with a piece of bread—_you do know they feed on chakra, right, Kiba?_ —and didn't notice, but Shino noted this with some interest. It wasn't often, or ever, that Shino saw Hinata like this.

"Yes, I have!" Kurenai said to Hinata happily. "I would love for you to be my flower girl, along with Ino, so we'll have to go pick out your dresses, and you'll get to see mine too."

"I think a white one would be nice, just brushing the floor, with a train," Hinata murmured dreamily, "and Naruto would wear-" She stopped, looking horrified, her face turning a becoming shade of crimson. Her mouth gaped as she fumbled with her cutlery, no doubt hoping she could turn back time or disappear off the face of the Earth. She opened her mouth twice, looking at each of them in turn with panic in her eyes, but no sound came out.

Kurenai was looking at Hinata with a mixture of amusement and pity. Kiba, being considerate, was holding on to Shino's sleeve, shaking with suppressed laughter. Even Shino cracked a slight smile at Hinata's awkward moment.

_So she likes traditional wedding dresses,_ Shino mused, _with trains. What are those?_

.

.

.

Shino was very close to panicking. Akamaru was dashing around like a crazed dog, howling and getting tangled with Shino's legs. Shoving the dog away with a grunt, Shino increased his pace, dragging the makeshift stretcher-sled behind him. Akamaru whimpered sadly and trailed behind Shino, licking Kiba's face feverishly.

Shino spared a quick look back. _Come on, Kiba. Hang in there._ He didn't like the paleness of his teammate's face, the sweat beading on his forehead, the way he moaned quietly as he shifted in pain.

The mission had been simple: escort an important emissary back to the Mist village. That had gone smoothly enough, but in the middle of their return trip, a hoard of crazy Sound village ninjas had ambushed them, demanding some secret scroll or other. They had clearly attacked the wrong team, since Kiba and Shino had absolutely no idea what scroll they were looking for. Unfortunately, they found that out only after a short bout of fierce fighting in which Kiba had been stabbed with a poisoned blade.

_Poisoned indeed_, Shino growled angrily to himself. _What kind of self-respecting shinobi resorts to poison to defeat an opponent?_

Shino had never been so glad to see his home come into view. His arms were aching, his mouth dry and gritty, his head full of fear for Kiba.

At the hospital, Kurenai paced up and down the corridor with Asuma trying to calm her down, his arm around her shoulders. Kiba's mother looked very pale, quite unlike her normal rather ferocious self. His sister sat in a chair quietly, her face composed, but her fingers were twined in her dogs' fur, clenching and unclenching repeatedly. Hinata, holding on to Shino's sleeve for comfort, looked very close to tears. Shino leaned against the wall, his calm exterior once again in place, waiting for news from Tsunade.

Gradually, the others arrived too. Shikamaru and Choji with Ino; Naruto, dragging Sakura along; Neji, who immediately approached Hinata with concern written all over his face, with Lee and Tenten. It was interesting, Shino felt, to see these familiar faces so drawn and worried, especially Lee, Naruto, Choji, those who were always smiling and laughing. Just like Kiba.

Kiba, who was so likable, so loyal, so thoughtful. Granted, he was almost always annoying, but he was a permanent fixture in Shino's life. Kiba, who had once broken Shino's wrist by pushing him out of a tree, who had plucked a few bugs from Shino's coat and tried to drown them in soy sauce, who had punched Naruto—punched _Naruto_, imagine that!—when he'd called Shino a lame loser. Nothing ever got him down, and at this very moment, Shino really couldn't imagine life without Kiba.

_Shut up_, he snapped at himself. _You sound like you're reciting an epitaph._

Finally, Tsunade opened the door to the operating room. She looked tired, and there were spatters of blood on her clothes, but her smile was genuine.

"He's okay. I managed to extract all the poison from his system. You did a good job, Shino. A little later and your friend might not be here now." She nodded approvingly at him, before turning to speak to Kiba's frantic mother and sister.

"No, he's my teammate," Shino corrected automatically, but no one was listening except Hinata. She smiled up at him knowingly, her eyes passing over the frown on his face that meant bewilderment.

_Friend. Kiba is my…friend._

Shino liked how that sounded.


	4. sixteen

**Wedding Dress** | _sixteen_

Shino shifted uncomfortably. He usually liked sitting in silence, but this gloomy, depressive atmosphere didn't suit him at all. Kiba looked tense and angry, shifting back and forth restlessly from where he was leaning against a tree.

Finally, he burst out, "You know, there obviously isn't going to be training today. We should be comforting Kurenai-sensei, not thinking about getting stronger or rubbish like that." He shot Shino a dirty glare, folding his arms.

Shino glared back. "I didn't suggest that we wait here." He forced the words from between gritted teeth, unwilling to let Kiba infuriate him more. Everyone was already upset enough.

"I didn't say you did," Kiba shot back. "We should go. The funeral's in, what, half an hour?" He stalked off without waiting, Akamaru padding along at his heels, his big white head hanging sadly. Hinata bit her lip, battling with herself for a moment before grabbing Shino's hand and pulling him along behind Kiba. Shino grudgingly let himself be dragged along.

_If Kurenai-sensei wasn't in mourning now and we weren't headed to her husband's funeral, I wouldn't be following Kiba like some sad puppy,_ Shino thought derisively. _I just don't want to risk upsetting her more. Hinata must be pretty upset too; she looks so…fragile._

Shino almost facepalmed. Somehow Hinata kept dancing around in his mind, even in serious moments like this. He looked down at her soft hand on his, blemish- and scar-free even though she had been on numerous missions. Shino, who had never been a fan of bodily contact with anyone, didn't pull his hand away.

Kiba slowed when they reached the funeral site. When he turned back to face Shino and Hinata, there was no trace of anger on his face, only sadness and anxiety. Hinata took his hand with her free one, the weaker comforting the stronger. Together they weaved through the mass of people, knowing that Kurenai would be near the front.

Team 8 found her standing apart from everyone else, head bowed, hair falling across her face. Grief was wrapped around her so thickly it was almost palpable in the air. Her shoulders shook with suppressed sobs, but her back was straight, her shoulders tense. The people around her murmured words of pity but stayed away, not knowing what to do or say for her.

"Sensei…" Hinata threw her arms around Kurenai, and the older woman seemed to shrink as she finally let herself cry, pouring out her grief. Kiba laid a tentative hand on her back, blinking rapidly to keep back his own tears. Shino just stood there, feeling useless and awkward in such an emotional setting.

All around them, people were sobbing, breaking down. A few metres away, Ino stood staring at the grave, weeping silently, tears leaving silver trails down her cheeks. Beside her, Choji was wailing openly. Shikamaru was nowhere to be seen.

Shino felt very detached from this crowd. Asuma had been friendly, but he'd never known the man very well. He didn't understand why his team was crying; Asuma hadn't been to them what he'd been to others: a lover, a friend, a teacher. Then Hinata raised her head from Kurenai's shoulder, and Shino saw her red-rimmed eyes, her face twisted with sorrow. A dull ache started in his chest at the sight of her tear stricken face.

_It hurts_, he realized,_ when those you love most are hurting too._

.

.

.

Hinata was, quite unusually, late for training. Kiba wanted to go and look for her, but Shino restrained him, thinking it unnecessary. Just minutes before Shino got tired of holding Kiba back, a lone figure came into view down the road: Hinata. But she seemed different in attitude and bearing—her shoulders were slumped, her eyes downcast.

Kiba fell silent and they watched as she approached, concern radiating off both of them. When she neared, she looked up and gave a wan smile of greeting. Shino's eyes roved over her face sharply, taking in her paleness, the slight droop at the side of her mouth, her exhaustion. She looked broken.

"What happened?" Kiba demanded right off the bat, striding up to Hinata and taking her firmly by the shoulders. "Who bullied you? Neji? I'll go beat up that stuck-up Hyuga for you! Just tell me where-"

"No, Kiba-kun," Hinata interrupted tiredly. "It's not Neji-nii-san. I-it's my own fault." Her bottom lip trembled and she turned her head away, hiding the tears swimming in her huge pale eyes.

"Tell us. We'll help," Shino said calmly, but inside he was as close to raging as he'd ever come. Whoever had hurt Hinata would pay.

"I-I told Naruto-kun t-that I liked him!" she finally burst out, "and he s-said he liked S-sakura-san and he only saw me as a very g-good friend." A single shining tear fell as she closed her eyes. Shino didn't say anything as Kiba wrapped his arms around Hinata, hugging her tightly, his face buried in her silky hair.

They kept the training short that day, and Hinata left quickly on the pretext of having errands to run for her father. Neither Shino nor Kiba made any move to stop her.

Shino was sitting at the base of a tree, resting from training. It was unbearably hot in this coat of his, but if he took it off and his bugs all spilled out, he'd never hear the end of it from Kiba. After playing catch with Akamaru for a few minutes, Kiba whistled to the big dog and ran over to Shino, panting and dripping sweat as he moved. Shino looked up. The sun was behind Kiba and he had to squint slightly to make out Kiba's face, which looked more serious than usual.

"Hey, Shino, what do you think?" Kiba said suddenly, sinking down onto the grass by Shino, but not so close that it made him uncomfortable. "About Hinata and Naruto, I mean." There was an odd note in Kiba's voice that Shino couldn't really pinpoint; he sounded nervous yet eager at the same time.

Shino shrugged. "I'm not happy with Naruto, but it's not his fault. Hinata will get over it," he replied matter-of-factly. He looked curiously at Kiba, waiting for the inevitable spilling of what was on his mind. Kiba could never keep anything to himself.

"Yeah…" Kiba's voice trailed off as he sat back, looking up at the sky thoughtfully. "Remember when we were put on the same team, and you always fought with me? And Hinata was just…I don't know, it was like she just faded into the background."

Kiba was looking expectantly at Shino, waiting for a reply, so he gave the obligatory "You always fought with me." He didn't really like where this was going. Kiba wasn't really the deep, reflecting sort of person.

Kiba grinned. "Whatever. Anyway, I think as she got stronger, I noticed her more. And because she's so sweet, I dunno…but I think…" He paused hesitantly. "No, I know that I like her. I mean, we've known each other for so long, I'd like to think I know my own feelings. And now that she's finally found out Naruto doesn't like her, I guess I have a chance, huh?" His smile was tentative as he watched for Shino's response.

"Why are you telling me this?" Shino didn't like how he was feeling, like his emotions were warring with each other. A mixture of anger and sadness and despair churned within him. He couldn't voice it out—who would listen?—and anyway, he didn't know how to.

"You're my best friend! Who else would I tell? Plus I'm telling you first so you don't feel like a third wheel," Kiba said with a huge laugh and a wink, back to his infuriating old self. "You can be my best man at the wedding!"

Shino nodded slowly, staring blankly into space, trying to rearrange his thoughts in a way that would allow him to put them away, where he would never have to look at them again. He tried to repress his emotions, as he had been so good at doing so many years before. But no, Team 8 had effectively destroyed that ability of his.

"That's good, Kiba," he finally said, because he was supposed to be happy for his friend. But his thoughts were filled with Hinata—her glowing eyes and her radiant smile and her sweet voice, her bravery and her kindness and her sincerity.

Inside, Shino wasn't happy at all.


	5. eighteen

**Wedding Dress** | _eighteen_

"Shino, I need to speak to you."

Shino turned to stare at his father, sitting in his usual large armchair, in utter surprise, more than a little confused at this sudden outburst of words. It wasn't that they were on bad terms with each other, but it simply wasn't in the Aburame nature to be vocal. For as long as he could remember, his interactions with his father had been pretty much limited to "train harder" and "it's time to eat".

"Yes, father." He moved slowly to stand before the man who had raised him, for once not having a clue what he might be thinking.

The older man cleared his throat, wondering where to start. "You should be thinking of getting married," he said in his usual blunt manner. "Have a son or two. You know that shinobi death rates are high; you can't afford to wait so long before…reproducing." He nodded imperiously, as if he hadn't casually just mentioned lifetime commitment to his rather anti-social son.

Shino blanched, adjusting his glasses self-consciously as he looked for a way out. "Of course, father," he replied smoothly. "I'll…go buy an engagement ring now."

And he dashed out of the house as fast as he could without looking ridiculous.

After that, Shino really had no choice but to wander around somewhat aimlessly. He had just returned from a mission the day before and he had a rest day today, which he had planned to spend at home relaxing. No chance of that now.

But Shino _did_ somehow find himself walking to the only jeweler's in Konoha, and he _did _pick out an engagement ring—a delicate, beautiful circle of silver set with a clear diamond—after much prompting from the jeweler with the knowing wink. It was only after he emerged from the shop holding a small black bag with the precious box in it that he wondered what on earth he was going to do with the ring.

There certainly wasn't anyone to give it too at the moment.

_Wishful thinking. That's all it will ever be, won't it?_

.

.

.

"Kurenai-sensei's daughter was _beautiful_, wasn't she?" Hinata gushed excitedly.

Team 8 was sitting at their usual after-training spot under the tree, chattering excitedly about their visit to Kurenai and her three-month-old daughter that morning. It had just been a routine visit to surprise her with the news that Kiba and Shino had made it to jonin level , but they'd managed to while away a good three hours cooing over the baby. At least, Kiba and Hinata had spent the time cooing while Shino had had a good chat with Shikamaru—who seemed to have taken the older woman under his wing in memory of his late sensei—about strategy and such.

"I can't wait to have my own children!" The words slipped out of Hinata's mouth before she had thought them through, and a slow flush crept up her cheeks when she met Kiba's eyes. Kiba gave a very uncharacteristic nervous laugh and looked away, but his hand found Hinata's and held it tightly.

Shino supposed he kind of understood where Hinata was coming from. He'd been apathetic towards children of any age before, but when he'd laid eyes on that little girl with the swirling red eyes and thick black hair, something changed. Maybe it was because he knew the girl's mother well; maybe it was because his father's talk had gotten him thinking about kids more; maybe he had matured; maybe he had found someone he wouldn't be averse to having kids with.

Whatever the reason, he'd _wanted_ to hold that baby; more than that, he realized that he wanted a child to call his own.

Shino winced at the direction his thoughts were going. He was going soft, he really was. It seemed like ages ago that his goal had been to show everyone _I'm better than them._ And anyway, he was only eighteen, hardly an age to be thinking about having children, regardless of whatever his father said.

Rolling his eyes at himself, he turned his head to see Kiba lying on Hinata's lap, playing with a strand of her hair that was falling over his face. Kiba grinned sleepily when he saw Shino turn in his direction, closing his eyes and tilting his head up as Hinata traced the contours of his face with a gentle finger.

Shino was used to scenes like this. His teammates weren't much for public displays of affection—Hinata was much too shy for that—but they had their fair share of sweet moments with each other. For one thing, Kiba was always playing with Hinata's hair, which had grown very long but still had its silky shine and softness; Hinata often liked to slip her hand shyly into the crook of Kiba's elbow as they walked side by side.

Shino was used to it. After all, some things just didn't change, like the fact that they still did almost everything together as a team. So he was always there behind the happy couple, when they trained, when they ate, so much so that he didn't feel anything when he watched them now. He had learnt to be content just by watching.

Hinata didn't hold Shino's hand so much now, or touch his sleeve when talking to him, as she used to when they were little, and Kiba's exuberance scared her. She had Kiba now, and Akamaru. Now, when she felt nervous, her hand would find the soft fur of Akamaru's neck and her fingers would grip the white scruff so tightly her knuckles turned white.

Shino didn't really care. He'd hardly felt her tiny hand on his arm through his thick coat anyway, and he felt freer without her hanging off him all the time. She was just a teammate, a very good friend, the first person to accept him and his bugs unconditionally, the first girl he'd ever had an emotional bond to. And because she was happy, so was he.

Kiba too, of course. Shino's first real friend, who had gone through thick and thin with him. Shino wanted Kiba's happiness as well, and now that he was happy with Hinata, Shino was truly happy for him. He really was.

_Liar._

Some days, Shino hated himself. Not for lying to himself, but for _having_ to lie in the first place.

.

.

.

Under the same tree again, but this time only two members of Team 8 were there. Hinata's head was heavy on his chest, and he could feel her shuddering breaths as she tried to stop crying. Shino's gaze was fixed on the top of her head as he stroked her hair softly, reverently.

"Tell me what happened," he murmured. Kiba had hurt her, he just _knew_ it. Anger flamed in his chest, but it was a weak emotion; the joy over whelmed the anger—the triumph in knowing that she had come to him for comfort, that she was in _his_ arms.

"S-sasuke." She choked out a single word, leaving Shino to puzzle out the meaning. Much to the rest of the Konoha Twelve's delight, the Uchiha had finally returned just a week ago. The village had hardly settled from the uproar that had arisen the moment he set foot in the perimeter, and he had already received a pardon from the Hokage. He had been reinstated as a Konoha shinobi, resuming his rival-friendship with Naruto and his idol status among the fangirls effortlessly.

"Sasuke?" he repeated blankly. He didn't see what the dark-eyed ninja had to do with Hinata or Kiba; unlike most of the other girls in Konoha, Hinata had never fallen for his dark good looks.

"Now that Sasuke is back, Sakura-san is interested in him again, so her relationship with Naruto-kun is kind of rocky. Then yesterday Kiba saw me talking to Naruto-kun," she whispered forlornly. "I was just talking _normally_, really! Shino-kun, I really didn't mean anything by it all, but Kiba…he got really angry." She slumped against Shino with an exhausted sigh, as if she had become tired of fighting, tired of proving herself, tired of pretending to be confident.

"Kiba should know better," Shino said helplessly, a sad attempt at consoling her. "You're would never think of cheating on him." He resumed stroking her hair, rubbing her back in small circles soothingly with his other hand. She shrugged, pushing slightly against his chest, and didn't reply, only turning her head so that she lay over his heart.

_She loves Kiba, not you, _Shino was frantically reminding himself, before he could spill his feelings out and destroy their friendship. But his mind drifted to the square box in a drawer of his table at home, and the way Hinata's eyes positively glowed when she was happy, her half-smile that could convey her pure joy.

_I'd like to be the one to put that glow in her eyes and that smile on her face._

He was such a soppy romantic, he disgusted himself.

But a spark of hope had ignited in Shino. For the first time, he was on a level playing field, where Hinata's heart wasn't already taken by another. His chance was _now_, and he was going to take it.

He looked down her, lying motionless across him, breathing slowly—she'd fallen asleep. A slight smile tugged the side of Shino's mouth up; it was a strange expression on his face. He leaned his head back against the tree and his eyes drifted shut as well, although he wasn't asleep. He felt the soft breeze whisper past his face, the uneven ground beneath him, the solid weight of the sleeping girl in his lap.

Everything was _perfect_.


	6. twenty

**Wedding Dress** | _twenty_

Shino tried to open his eyes but the light blinded him, stabbing at his eyes. He groaned in annoyance and shut them tight again. A twinge of dull pain shot up his arms when he moved.

"He's moving, he's moving! Hey, Hinata, he's awake!" Kiba's yell was deafening, ringing in his ears. "Shino, how're you feeling? Good? Aren't you glad we're here to see you?" A pair of hands grabbed his shoulders in excitement.

"Stop moving me. I'm okay," Shino grunted irritably, opening his eyes just a little and taking in Kiba's familiar, slightly feral grin. His eyes took in the familiar white surroundings: the medical centre. He should've known.

"Kiba, Shino-kun broke his arms! Don't touch them!" Hinata, peeking out from behind Kiba, looked horrified and pulled Kiba away from Shino's bedside, taking the spot herself. "How are you feeling, Shino-kun? I'm so glad you're okay! I was so scared when I saw all that blood, and the _bone_ coming out of your arm…" She shuddered at the memory.

"I deserve some credit, don't I?" Kiba demanded. "I carried him back, you know! All those bugs and his stupid coat make him weigh a ton! Unlike that time when I got poisoned and he didn't even carry me, he _dragged _me back to Konoha, remember?" He sniggered at the withering look Shino shot him.

The look Hinata gave Kiba was filled with a mixture of exasperation and affection. "Don't listen to him, Shino-kun," she muttered wryly, rolling her eyes. "Kurenai-sensei dropped by earlier but she had to leave to pick her daughter up. The Yamanakas sent you these flowers, and Lee-san wishes you a youthful recovery." Hinata smiled, pointing at the various gifts his visitors had brought in his period of unconsciousness.

"Oh, and the invitation! I want to tell him that one!" Kiba insisted, waving an envelope embossed with the Uchiha crest around. "We're invited to _another_ celebration at the Uchiha compound because, get this, _Ino is pregnant_! I mean, come on, they only got married, what, last week?" Shino privately thought that Kiba looked way more excited and scandalized than the situation really demanded.

"It was last month," Shino corrected automatically, "and why are they celebrating? Don't we celebrate when the baby is actually born?"

"Come _on_, you know Sasuke is close to obsessed when it comes to reviving his clan! He's probably delirious with happiness right now. I'm sure Ino's going to have another ten more babies down the road. The poor girl sure didn't know what she was getting into when she married that crazy Uchiha," Kiba said with a wink and a loud laugh.

"Stop teasing, Kiba, I'm sure Ino is delighted too," Hinata said quietly, a hint of reproach in her voice, coming over to stand beside him.

Kiba looked completely unapologetic and only wrapped an arm tightly around her waist, pulling her closer to him and looking down at her with a cheeky smirk on his face. "Let's have some kids of our own, Hinata. How does that sound?" He muffled her exclamation of shock with a quick kiss, making her blush tomato red.

Shino cleared his throat loudly. "I'm still here, you know." Even to himself, he sounded a tad sulky. Very uncharacteristic of the normally emotionless Aburame.

"Yeah, yeah, another reason why you should go to that Ino-is-pregnant celebration," Kiba retorted. "Your love-deprived soul _so _needs a girl! Anyway, we're going out for dinner, okay? We'll be back later with dessert! Fried spiders and boiled worms!" He hurriedly dragged Hinata out of the room upon seeing the look of outrage on Shino's face, his laughter echoing down the entire hallway.

The scene kept replaying in Shino's mind—eyes meeting, lips touching, _love _in their eyes.

_I never really had a chance_.

Shino had never even confessed. Just two days after their quarrel, Kiba had come back to Hinata on his knees, begging her to take him back, apologizing for accusing her, claiming he couldn't live without her. Hinata, being Hinata, had granted him forgiveness immediately, then promptly burst into tears and hugged him. There hadn't been a hitch in their relationship since then.

Shino had been relegated to the backseat again, taking up his familiar yet unwelcome position of the spectator, dragged to a show he was reluctant to watch.

In the empty room, his sigh was loud in the still air.

.

.

.

_This is it._

Shino had had enough. This had been weighing on his chest for way too long. He didn't think he could stand being around Kiba and Hinata and their _obliviousness_ to him much more. It wasn't that he didn't like them dating—alright, he didn't, but he could tolerate that—instead, it was how they simply didn't realise how he was feeling, how he _had_ been feeling the for the past four years.

And they called themselves his friends. He loved them and all, but _really,_ enough was enough.

So he'd approached Hinata and, after overcoming his unusually bashful, tongue-tied self, invited her to dinner. In a strictly as-friends manner, of course.

What he hadn't expected was Kiba and Akamaru tagging along. That would make the confession part of the evening just a tad awkward, not to mention Shino hated how his house was going to smell like dog, but Aburames weren't known for backing down. In fact, they were sometimes a little _too_ focused on their goals, and Shino was no exception.

The dinner part of it had gone smoothly. For a moment, it had just been Team 8 chatting and laughing, without complications. For a moment, Shino could almost imagine that they were twelve again, with Kiba being loud and insulting, Hinata stammering and blushing, himself silent and nonchalant. _Nostalgia._

"Ino's getting fat, isn't she? How long do you think it'll be before it's Sakura's turn?" Kiba sniggered to himself. "By the way, Hinata, did Shino tell you about that mission we went on where I _totally_ saved him from some rogue ninja?" Hinata laughed, shaking her head and looking at Shino with amusement in her eyes. She leaned forward, listening patiently as Kiba launched into an animated retelling of a tale ending with him saving the distressed Shino from certain death.

"That clearly never happened," Shino commented dryly. "Kiba, we've had enough of your tall tales."

Kiba looked exaggeratedly insulted for a moment. "Sure it did! Maybe you were so terrified that you wiped your own memories and made yourself the hero instead." He nodded and smirked, looking satisfied with his own explanation.

Shino shrugged, losing interest. He reached into his coat pocket, fingering the ring inside thoughtfully. Kiba, one hand scratching Akamaru's head, was whispering something to Hinata. They were leaning close to each other, noses almost touching, engrossed in conversation. Just across the table, Shino thought he had never felt so far away from them before.

All his thoughts evaporated in an instant as he watched the scene. _Hinata, I don't know how to say this, but I like you. Hinata, all these years, I've been watching you. I love you. Give me a chance to show you how much I like you. Please. I love you. I love you so much. _He rolled the ring between his thumb and index finger indecisively.

Suddenly, Kiba stood up. "Okay, I've been thinking for a long time, and I think there's no better time to do this than now, with our whole team present, okay? Because really, you guys are closer than family." He looked uncharacteristically nervous, pulling at the collar of his shirt.

Kiba met Hinata's eyes and dropped to one knee. "Hinata, please marry me," he choked out, presenting her with a delicate silver ring set with an amethyst. The precious stone, catching the faint light in the room, flashed purple fire.

Shino's breath caught in his throat.

Hinata's expression flitted from one of pure shock to pleasant surprise to utter delight. "Yes," she breathed. Kiba almost collapsed with relief and delight, and engulfed her in a hug. Akamaru sat up, catching the excitement in the air, and gave a loud bark.

Kiba caught Shino's eye. "You'll be my best man, won't you?" he demanded. _You can be my best man at the wedding! _Shino had heard that before, years ago, and his heart experienced the same ache it had upon hearing that sentence.

"Of course, Kiba." He carefully kept any hint of inflection out of his voice. Aburames were always in control of their emotions, of their body language, of themselves. Heartache, anger, resentment, he kept these out of his voice, away from his face, hidden behind his broken heart. After all, seeing the joy on Hinata's face, that was enough for him.

But in the back of his mind, a single line kept repeating itself.

_I never even got a chance._


	7. Epilogue

**Wedding Dress** | _Epilogue_

The wedding dress was palest purple, flowing softly around her knees, emphasizing her wide pale eyes. There was no other word to describe her but _beautiful_. She caught sight of Shino and smiled, her facing lighting up even more.

"Shino-kun!" Hinata stood up and walked over, infinitely graceful even on impossibly high heels. She reached up on her tiptoes, wrapping her arms delicately around his neck in a quick but affectionate hug, her lips lightly brushing his cheek. Shino caught a whiff of strawberry shampoo as she drew back.

"You look nice. Beautiful." The word was unfamiliar on his lips. "But I thought you wanted a long white one, with a train." Yeah, he knew what trains were now.

Hinata blinked in surprise, her brows furrowing in confusion. "No, I don't think I really thought about it before. Kiba and I picked this out together. He likes the colour so much," she said with a giggle, her lips curving in a smile. "Anyway, a long dress would be inconvenient."

"I see." But Shino didn't see. He _knows_ he remembered, word for word, what she wanted. _I think a white one would be nice, just brushing the floor, with a train._ That's how he'd always pictured her on her wedding day. It had been a surprise to see her in her current dress—not an unpleasant surprise, but a surprise all the same.

Just another sign of how she wasn't his.

"What's wrong?" Hinata asked quietly. She could hardly see his face, but she'd known him long enough to know that something was bothering him.

Shino shrugged. "I'm happy for you, you know." He said it firmly, as if he had someone to convince. Then he quickly left to find Kiba before the ceremony started.

Everyone close to Team 8 was there. Hinata's father, puffed up with pride; her little sister, wide-eyed with excitement. Ino and Sasuke, Naruto and Sakura, Neji and Tenten. Even the Kazekage had sent his siblings as representatives. Kurenai was teary-eyed but preoccupied, trying to keep her daughter from climbing onto one of the Inuzuka's huge dogs. The feral Inuzukas were rowdy bunch, and the excessive number of dogs didn't help in maintaining a quiet atmosphere either.

After the customary kiss, it was time for Shino to give the best man speech. Not that he had willingly volunteered to do it—forced, cajoled, bribed, these seemed to describe his situation more accurately. He _did_ give the speech though, a painfully short one where each passing second seemed like an hour to him, but it was a speech all the same. Kiba looked delighted at the heartfelt words, and Shino couldn't help but think, a_nything for a best friend_.

Then the bride and groom had paraded out of the building to the lunch reception, their friends and family thronging after them. Hinata had looked back, catching Shino's eye, and given him his reward. Her beaming smile remained etched in his mind even as he watched her retreat further and further from him. Her happiness, that was all he'd ever wanted.

Yet even after all these years, Aburame Shino was still jealous of Inuzuka Kiba.

Shino took a step after the procession, hands in pockets, then stopped at the feel of cold metal. The ring he'd bought, still without an owner. He took it out, studied it for a moment, and dropped it on the floor emotionlessly. He didn't hear the _klink_ as it hit the ground and rolled away.

He was already walking, leaving the abandoned remains of his love behind.


End file.
